Thursday, September 17, 2009

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What started as a weekly radio program in New Bunswick, Canada for DJ, vinyl collector, and music historian Dan Zacks has escalated into a CD and mp3 phenomenon with this, the second volume of Si Para Usted, compilations that contain rare and mostly unheard Latin rock and funk tracks recorded in Cuba during the early years of the Castro regime. The relative obscurity of virtually all this material does nothing to diminish the impact of some of the brightest, most innovative pop music ever recorded. For those who can’t get enough history with their funk, there is a great booklet included that offers a detailed account of Cuba’s socialized music business in the 1960s and ‘70s. I loved Si Para Usted, Volume 2 on my first listen, but I have long been a sucker for world music reissues. As an experiment in musical reception, I sent the CD home with Indy intern Carolina Beltran to try out on her Latin-music savvy family. “This album is so versatile,” said Beltran. “I could imagine hearing it in a hip New York lounge, but when I played it for my family, my grandfather could sing along to nearly every song. Think the Buena Vista Social Club, but with funk, fuzz, and some revolutionary fervor.’”

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